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Rudd calls for more help for poor

Paul Osborne, AAP Senior Political Writer

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says the ditching of the budget surplus gives the government an opportunity to do more for the poor, including boosting the dole.

A number of Labor backbenchers, the Australian Greens and welfare groups are lobbying for an increase in the rate of the Newstart Allowance.

They also want a January 1 move to push thousands of single parents off a higher payment on to Newstart to be scrapped.

Mr Rudd, who has been on leave, entered the debate on Friday, telling ABC television the government had a responsibility to do more for the less well-off.

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"I'm just saying we are the Labor party, we are a Labor government, we have got responsibility for people who are doing it tough and people who need a bit of a hand up, and therefore, we could be doing more," Mr Rudd said.

"I've also noted carefully what the treasurer has said about the non-deliverability of the budget surplus.

"That decision provided a greater opportunity to attend to some pretty basic social needs.

"I think people need to show a bit more of a heart."

Mr Rudd said he had no specific proposal for change as that was the responsibility of government ministers.

"The truth is, if you put yourself in the position of people who have to make ends meet on Newstart, this is very, very hard."

Mr Rudd said he had not spoken about the matter to caucus members "for some weeks".

The former Labor leader, whose time as prime minister will be surpassed by Julia Gillard next week, also weighed into the electoral reform debate, saying all state voting systems and the federal system needed to be aligned to compulsory preferential voting.